DERRY — Three of Derry's four fire stations will get a safety boost soon.
Requests for proposals from interested contractors are being accepted to equip the trio of fire stations with sprinkler systems.
Derry was awarded $265,000 in May, through the Department of Homeland Security's Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program for Operations and Safety. The award was the second largest in the state and gives Derry a chance to update some outdated station facilities.
The total cost of the project is $294,000, according to fire Chief George Klauber. As part of the grant agreement, the town must contribute 10 percent of the total cost.
When the grant was awarded in May, Klauber said the money would be used to install sprinkler systems at the department's Central Station on East Broadway, Island Pond Station on Warner Hill Road and the Hampstead Road station.
All three stations were built in the 1970s — 1972, 1978 and 1974, respectively. They are the oldest fire facilities in town and all with no sprinkler systems.
Central Station, near Derry's traffic circle, is the largest of the three, with 9,730 square feet and a regional communications center providing emergency communications to five communities.
Contractor bids for the sprinkler jobs will be accepted until July 22 at 2 p.m. and can be sent to Town Administrator Gary Stenhouse, 14 Manning St., Derry.
Interested contractors will have a chance to tour the stations on July 8 at 8:30 a.m., according to the bid proposal information. Request for proposal information is also posted on the town website, derry.nh.us.
The town will have one year to complete the project. Klauber said the department will move quickly to request proposals for contractors to install the sprinklers and associated water lines.
New sprinkler systems will better protect expensive fire apparatus — and firefighters, he added.
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